Waterloo council and staff have struggled with redevelopment plans for the former St. Louis school, 75 Allen St. E., which the city bought last March.

City hangs for sale sign on St. Louis school

By James JacksonChronicle Staff

The city will now accept purchase proposals on the former St. Louis school property after declaring the land surplus Monday afternoon.

The move will set the stage for staff to create a shortlist of proposals and begin the process of redeveloping the city’s first Catholic school, located on a half-acre plot of land at 75 Allen St. E.

The city will use six criteria to evaluate proposals for the building, with purchase price (60 points) weighted the heaviest. Other criteria include vision (10 points), heritage (10), environmental rehabilitation (5), parking needs (5) and the proponent’s ability to deliver (5).

A second phase of evaluation will include interviews with potential buyers. The purchase proposal would permit the demolition of the three-storey, 24,000 square-foot structure.

Council heard from seven delegations prior to the vote, including many who live in the community and were upset by the heavy weight given to purchase price.

“I was very disappointed to see that heritage and neighbourhood vision account for such a small percentage of the evaluation matrix,” said Brook Thiessen, chair of the Mary Allen Neighbourhood Association. “It’s an embarrassment the city puts such small weight on the things that really matter, and such a huge emphasis on price.”

Councillors Angela Vieth and Melissa Durrell, whose uptown ward is home to the school, voted against the purchase proposal because they felt the weighting of the point system didn’t go far enough to protect the building.

“I’m not opposed to selling it, but we should be putting a heavier percentage on heritage,” said Vieth.

Built in 1905, the city purchased the school and the property from the separate school board last March for $535,000. It was closed by the Catholic board in 1983 due to falling enrolment, but was used as an adult education centre until 2005.

The city’s intention was to complete the Mary Allen Park across Willow Street, and the city had to include the school as part of the deal for the park. The purchase proposal is the culmination of months of debate and discussion within council chambers and in the community.

Waterloo spent $50,000 seeking public input, and the results were presented in November. Some councillors were concerned with the direction the plans were going.

At Monday’s meeting, some delegations expressed concern about the future of the park, and the potential to add up to 20 parking spots, while others were worried about multi-storey towers and apartments being built in the school’s place.

City staff said the current zoning, General Residential 2, is aimed at low-density buildings and would require an amendment to the city’s recently completed official plan to do otherwise.

Coun. Jeff Henry said he was comfortable with the weight given to each evaluation. “If council was only concerned with getting money back and making money off this plot, (price) would be 100 per cent (of the evaluation), but it is not,” he said. “It contains a significant percentage for heritage, environment and a community vision.”

Developer Shawky Fahel appeared before council to say he would be interested in redeveloping the site in a similar fashion to the Alexandra School, possibly for senior housing.

An assessment of the building completed last September indicates the brick and stone exterior is in fair condition, and structurally the building is sound. Environmental problems such as mould and asbestos do exist.

Fahel said the building should be redeveloped through a partnership with builders, the city and the neighbourhood in order to strike the right balance.

“The school is part and parcel with the Mary Allen community,” he said. “It is not bricks and mortar, it is history.”

Purchase proposals will be accepted until 3 p.m. on June 17, with a sale expected to be approved by the end of September.